Finishing silk hats



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FINISHING SILK HATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,141, dated December 7 1886.

Application filed October 16, 1880. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DENISON M. EASTON, of Arcola, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Finishing Silk Hats, of which the following is a specification.

In the manufacture of silk hats it is usual to impart to the nap the desired glossy appearance by brushing, moistenin g with water, and ironing. After the hat has been worn for some time or is exposed to rain the gloss is destroyed and the hat looks rough and objectionable, and its former appearance can only be restored by being ironed by a batter.

I have discovered that the gloss can be more easily imparted to silk hats in the manufacture than heretofore, or be restored in hats that have been worn, by treating them with highlyrefined petroleum, as hereinafter set forth, such petroleum acting upon the gum in the silk fiber to soften the same, so that such fiber will lie smooth and straight and assume the desired gloss. Hence, when applied in the manufacture of hats, the labor will be lessened of straightening and ironing down the fiber, and when applied to hats that have been worn the gloss and smoothness will be restored without the necessity of ironing. I therefore prepare and sell the extra-refined petroleum with. the proper admixture of other substances and with the proper directions, wearing a silk hat can restore the luster of the same from time to time until worn out.

Besides restoring the luster my preparation serves to prevent injury to the silk by moisture. I find that by mixing oil mirbane with highly-refined petroleum of over 150 Fahrenheit fire test the silk plush treated by the same so that any person bane,

receives most quickly the desired luster. These materials should be mixed in the proportion of about five ounces of oil inirbane to one gallon of petroleum, and in addition to the foregoing I prefer to add about two ounces of oil Wintergreen to prevent the odor of the petroleum being noticeable when first applied and to promote the vaporization of the compound; but any other essential oil that will effect this object may be employed.

This hat-gloss should be kept in a bottle tightly corked, and when used upon a hat a small pad of fibrous material, such as muslin, should be moistened with the liquid and then the nap on the hat rubbed down smoothly therewith, the final operations hein g done with the pad when almost dry or with a separate piece of muslin, so as to lay out the silk fibers smoothly and polish the same.

I claim as my invention- 1. The method herein specified of smoothing and polishing the silk nap upon hats, consisting in rubbing the nap down with a pad of muslin or similar material moistened with highly-refined petroleum, and glossing the surface with the cloth or pad, substantially as set forth.

2. The preparation herein specified for imparting to the silk nap of hats a gloss, consisting of highly-refined petroleum and oil of mirsubstantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 14th day of October, A. D. 1880.

D. M. EASTON.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINGKNEY, CHAS. H. SMITH. 

